Northeast - Niagara River

Anyone have info on the bikeway along here? I plan to bike from Ellicott Creek Park in North Tonawanda to Buffalo and back, along Tonawanda Creek and the Niagara River. I've been riding the routes in 'Biking the Erie Canal' but it's a little sparse on detail - looks like some of it is road riding, and the junction of the canal and river looks pretty confusing.

Any advice appreciated, and I'll let you know how it goes.

-JM

All I can tell you is that it is flat as a pancake. I thought you'd be asking about the Canadian side, not that I know much about that either. Try Google.

I've been riding the routes in 'Biking the Erie Canal' but it's a little sparse on detail - looks like some of it is road riding, and the junction of the canal and river looks pretty confusing.

Yep, it was indeed confusing.. Took me a couple tries to find where the trail continues.

At the junction of the canal and river, after you cross the Erie Canal Path's truss bridge, cross Main Street and go along Niagara Street for one block. The entrance of the trail is on the right side, next to Seymour Street (and the path ducks under the Seymour Street bridge over the canal).

That path will take you all the way through Niawanda Park and Isle View County Park and beyond on the Niagara River. I don't like the path past Isle View County Park because after it goes under the Grand Island bridge, the path goes by a Niagara Mohawk coal power plant, and the sooty smell can get very strong to the point of causing nausea. If you continue on it will eventually take you to Lasalle Park on the shores of Lake Erie.

My usual ride when I lived in Amherst was to just go down the Amherst Tonawanda trail to Isle View Park and then turn back.

Hope this helps.

Would these help?

http://www.ci.buffalo.ny.us/files/1_2_1/Bwell/BikeAndPedestrian/Bike_Route_A.pdf

http://www.ci.buffalo.ny.us/files/1_2_1/Bwell/BikeAndPedestrian/Bike_Route_B.pdf

You can zoom in pretty close. I imagine local bike shops would have hardcopies.

There's also Google Maps for Bikes (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=North+Tonawanda,+New+York+14120&daddr=1379+Niagara+Street,+Buffalo,+NY+14213-1304+(River+Front+Auto+Sales)&hl=en&geocode=FeOTkAIdeilN-w%3BFQTujgIdfRxM-yHe57y3LENDwSnFNJ38FhPTiTE10NyndH2ZuQ&gl=us&mra=ls&dirflg=b&sll=43.021341,-78.879712&sspn=0.006322,0.013261&ie=UTF8&ll=43.021467,-78.879776&spn=0.003161,0.00663&t=h&z=17&lci=bike)

Thanks guys, I'm on it tomorrow and I'll let you know how it goes.

I was just up in that area a couple weeks ago on vacation to visit family. I did a ride from the south end of West Seneca to the north end of Cheektowaga and back, about 32 miles. The trail guide was handy to have.

Enjoy the ride.

Yeah, wow, that was confusing. I took some unintended detours had several 'where am I' moments. If I do this ride again I'll make sure I have a Buffalo street map and maybe even a compass.

But when all is said and done, it was a nice ride. And now I've biked the canal from Buffalo to Pittsford.